Instant Message - Chapter 3.
Disclaimer - I don't own it although I wish I did when I get all of your very kind reviews!
A/N This is a short chapter since I had a chance to type it up and get it out before I may have a crazy few days!
Jack stared at the computer and wondered what he should do next. He couldn't believe that his "Instant Messenger" was just someone who wanted to get to know him better. A woman who had purely, innocently, searched the instant message system looking for a man who had the same interests as her and came up with him. And he'd been so caught up in his black ops mentality that he had blown the whole thing out of proportion.
Scarecrow - Oh. Sorry – I didn't realize that was possible and my friend set the whole thing up for me. She must have populated the profile for me. Where do I look to see what she wrote?
Dorothy – Go to the menu and find edit profile. You can see it there.
Dorothy – She?
Scarecrow – Huh?
Dorothy – Your friend – she? Is she your girlfriend?
Scarecrow – No.
Scarecrow – Just a friend.
Scarecrow – A colleague.
Scarecrow – We work together.
Dorothy – So I take that as an unequivocal "No" then.
Scarecrow – So, can I see your profile then?
Dorothy – Nice change of subject. Sure. You just go to 'view buddy profile' and it's there. It's just the tip of the iceberg of my depths though.
As Jack clicked to view Dorothy's profile, he thought that she came across as a bit of a smart ass – his kind of person so far then! Her profile popped up on the screen and he read it aloud to himself.
Screen Name – Dorothy
Career – Engineering
Hobbies – Computers and Technology. Astrology. International Travel.
Music – Alternative.
Meeting People online. Romance.
Hmm. Interesting. He could maybe, probably, hold a conversation with her. He was wondering what Carter had filled out for him when the familiar 'ding' was heard again.
Dorothy – Are you still there or has my profile put you off me for good, Colonel?
Scarecrow – Still here. Just a slow reader.
He reread the last two posts and something hit him as being wrong. That was it – the "Colonel". Why had she set up another instant message account for him when he had a perfectly good one that Carter had established on his behalf (if you could call it that). Why the cloak and dagger routine if she had nothing to hide?
Scarecrow – Why did you set up a new instant message account for me?
Dorothy – Pardon?
Scarecrow – Why do we need a new account for me if you have nothing to hide?
Dorothy – Hmmm. The military paranoia strikes again. Maybe it's because you have something to hide.
Scarecrow – I do?
Dorothy – Hey, I just figured that a Colonel in the US Air Force wouldn't want anyone knowing that he was having an online chat with someone for the purpose of romance.
Scarecrow – How could they know?
Scarecrow – Assuming of course that's what I was doing.
Dorothy – Well instant message isn't a secure communication method. It's like e-mail in that if anyone was looking at your online activity they could see your IM conversations. So considering your position I figured that someone was probably monitoring you. I thought that it would be best to have another account for your "personal life".
Scarecrow – Good thinking batman!
Dorothy – LOL. (For a newbie like you that means Laugh out loud).
Scarecrow – And there's me thinking it stood for Lots of Love.
Dorothy – I don't know you well enough for that.
Scarecrow – Yet!
Dorothy – Are you flirting with me?
Scarecrow – Maybe. But on that note I have to go. Sorry for all of the paranoia but it seems like you understand.
Dorothy – As I said – Military Brat!
Scarecrow – I'd like to hear more about that another time.
Dorothy – So you'd like to chat again?
Scarecrow – Sure. When?
Dorothy – Same time tomorrow?
Scarecrow – OK
Dorothy – C u then. Night
Scarecrow – Night.
With a sigh, Jack signed off his instant messenger and sat thinking about the last 30 minutes of his life.